Hollyleaf's Peace
by The Inspired Quill
Summary: Faced with turmoil and lies, Hollyleaf looks for a means of escape. But before the tunnels, there is still the matter of what to do with Ashfur... R


**A/N: For those of you who have read my other fanfic, The Fall of the Four, I apologize for posting other stories rather than chapters of that one. However, I will upload another chapter soon.**

**This one is about Hollyleaf. I got it from the idea of how she acted towards Ashfur and her "death". **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

_No! It can't be true! Squirrelflight was lying! _A red haze of anger and betrayal swept over Hollyleaf. She leaped into the air, and claws unsheathed, swiped and slashed, snarled and yowled, pretending that it was Squirrelflight, who said that she wasn't their mother. After a couple swipes, Hollyleaf felt her claws connecting with cat fur, and a small trickle of a warm liquid covered her paw.

"Hollyleaf! Wake up!" A voice cut into Hollyleaf's dream. She instantly sprang up, wide awake, and saw a trickle of blood well up from Brackenfur's flank. Shame instantly seared through her, and the anger instantly melted. Brackenfur was a good cat, as well as her former mentor. He did not know about Squirrelflight's secret, and never lied to Hollyleaf.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Brackenfur. Are you all right? Maybe you should go see Leafpool," she mewed, ashamed of herself.

"No, I'm fine. Please don't ever do that again, Hollyleaf," Brackenfur grumbled, and turned around to go back to sleep. Brackenfur usually was good-natured and was never upset, so Hollyleaf guessed that she had really disturbed him. Hollyleaf knew that if she went back to sleep, the same dream would haunt her again.

She had been dreaming of the night of the storm, when in the midst of the fire, Squirrelflight told Ashfur, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather her terrible secret: _Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather, the three cats everyone believed were her kits, were not. _Squirrelflight also knew who was the Three's actual mother, but Squirrelflight refused to reveal it. The red haze threatened to sweep over her again, and Hollyleaf knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. She padded out of the den.

The clearing was bathed in silver moonlight. Hollyleaf looked up, and saw the moon, almost full. The almost round disk of silver light shone down on Hollyleaf, and some of her pain and anguish dissolved. She knew that tomorrow was the Gathering, and her thoughts flew back to what Lionblaze had told her the day before. Ashfur was going to the Gathering, and he was going to announce Squirrelflight's secret to every cat at the Gathering!

Looking around, the clearing was quiet and empty. She wondered if she should go hunting, but then her gaze traveled over Ashfur's grey pelt standing watch silently, and she instantly regretted her idea.

Hollyleaf had nothing to do, so she returned to the warrior's den, and tried to sleep. This time she slept peacefully. No dreams interrupted her.

The next day both Hollyleaf and Lionblaze were chosen for a hunting patrol, and as they padded out of the camp with Spiderleg and Thornclaw, Lionblaze told her about Squirrelflight's, Jayfeather's and his failed plans to convince Ashfur to stay quiet at the Gathering.

"Jayfeather went into his dream, but that only made him nervous, and he ignored my words. Can you quiet him, Hollyleaf? We are all depending on you now." Hollyleaf met Lionblaze's pleading gaze. Her brother was a strong, brave cat. Seeing him like this saddened her. She silently snarled at Ashfur, although he couldn't hear. A plan formed in her mind, but even though it was a risky, dangerous plan, she wasn't afraid to carry it out.

"Yes, I think I can do it," Hollyleaf replied, her voice strong and steady. She remembered this morning, she had a confrontation with Ashfur, but now she had a better plan.

After sunhigh, Hollyleaf had caught three mice, Lionblaze caught a plump vole and a finch, Thornclaw and Spiderleg both caught a sparrow and a squirrel. After dropping her prey on the fresh-kill pile, she bounded up to a border patrol that was getting ready to leave.

"Can I join you?" she asked Brambleclaw, who was leading the patrol.

His eyes widened. "Haven't you just gone on a hunting patrol?"

"Yes, but I want to go with you. ShadowClan and WindClan might cause trouble," she replied.

"Hollyleaf, tonight is the Gathering. You are going, so you can't afford to be tired. These cats in the patrol are all staying," Brambleclaw gently told her.

"Can we please get going?" asked Thornclaw, kneading the grass. "ShadowClan could be eating our prey while you two stand here chatting."

"Yes, Thornclaw is right, Hollyleaf. Come on, let's go, patrol." He leaped through the tunnel, and the rest of the patrol followed him.

Hollyleaf sighed. She turned around to go to the warrior's den, but struck by a sudden thought; she turned and padded out of the tunnel, but in a different direction as the patrolling cats. She took a deep breath and sniffed. Ashfur's scent drifted by and she followed it carefully, slowly. She stalked Ashfur along the WindClan border, making sure she was alone. Ashfur was hunting, up ahead, where the border stream ran.

_How odd. I'm stalking Ashfur, Ashfur's stalking a bird, and the birds stalking a worm._ Hollyleaf blinked. _I shouldn't think that kind of thoughts. I need to concentrate so I can-_ Now was a perfect opportunity. The bank here was slippery and the river was fast-flowing below. She pounced, leaping on him and twisted her head to bite his throat. The moment she felt him go limp, she knew he was dead._ I'm sorry, Ashfur. But I had to. If only you…_

She pushed his body into the river, and watched it flow away.

All her thoughts threatened to sweep Hollyleaf away. What she had done to Ashfur, whose body had been found, what she had said at the Gathering, what she said to Leafpool, what she had done to ThunderClan. She dashed into the tunnels, ignoring her brothers' cries. Hollyleaf needed to escape from her Clan. She heard to tunnel shake, and knew it was going to collapse.

_I don't care if I die, if I get trapped in the tunnels. I need to get away._ The tunnel shook one last time, and rocks and stone and dirt tumbled down, burying Hollyleaf's body. Then the rest of the tunnel collapsed, and was reduced to a mound of rock and dirt. Hollyleaf didn't feel any pain as her spirit drifted away from her lifeless body. She was at peace, finally.

**A/N: Reviews are the best gift to an author.**


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